Contemporary Scientific Realism
The Challenge from the History of Science
Published on 5. October 2021
Book
Hardback
394 pages
978-0-19-094681-4 (ISBN)
Description
Scientific realists claim we can justifiably believe that science is getting at the truth. However, they have faced historical challenges: various episodes across history appear to demonstrate that even strongly supported scientific theories can be overturned and left behind. In response, realists have developed new positions and arguments. As a result of specific challenges from the history of science, and realist responses, we find ourselves with an ever-increasing dataset bearing on the (possible) relationship between science and truth.
The present volume introduces new historical cases impacting the debate and advances the discussion of cases that have only very recently been introduced. At the same time, shifts in philosophical positions affect the very kind of case study that is relevant. Thus, the historical work must proceed hand in hand with philosophical analysis of the different positions and arguments in play. It is with this in mind that the volume is divided into two sections, entitled "Historical Cases for the Debate" and "Contemporary Scientific Realism."
All sides agree that historical cases are informative with regard to how, or whether, science connects with truth. Defying proclamations as early as the 1980s announcing the death knell of the scientific realism debate, here is that rare thing: a philosophical debate making steady and definite progress. Moreover, the progress it is making concerns one of humanity's most profound and important questions: the relationship between science and truth, or, put more boldly, the epistemic relation between humankind and the reality in which we find ourselves.
The present volume introduces new historical cases impacting the debate and advances the discussion of cases that have only very recently been introduced. At the same time, shifts in philosophical positions affect the very kind of case study that is relevant. Thus, the historical work must proceed hand in hand with philosophical analysis of the different positions and arguments in play. It is with this in mind that the volume is divided into two sections, entitled "Historical Cases for the Debate" and "Contemporary Scientific Realism."
All sides agree that historical cases are informative with regard to how, or whether, science connects with truth. Defying proclamations as early as the 1980s announcing the death knell of the scientific realism debate, here is that rare thing: a philosophical debate making steady and definite progress. Moreover, the progress it is making concerns one of humanity's most profound and important questions: the relationship between science and truth, or, put more boldly, the epistemic relation between humankind and the reality in which we find ourselves.
Reviews / Votes
The book, which is a highly valuable resource for researchers, begins with an introductory chapter and editorial summary of the papers in the collection, which are then divided into two parts, one dealing mainly with historical case studies and the other with contemporary issues. * Elay Shech, Metascience * Debates over scientific realism will certainly continue, but this volume provides a basis for substantive, informed, and further careful work. Recommended. Graduate students and faculty. * D. Bantz, University of Alaska, CHOICE * a highly valuable resource for researchers * Elay Shech, Metascience *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
754 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-094681-4 (9780190946814)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Timothy D. Lyons | Peter Vickers
Contemporary Scientific Realism
The Challenge from the History of Science
E-Book
06/2021
OUP eBook
€60.99
Available for download
Timothy D. Lyons | Peter Vickers
Contemporary Scientific Realism
The Challenge from the History of Science
E-Book
06/2021
OUP eBook
€60.99
Available for download
Persons
Timothy D. Lyons is Chair of Philosophy and Professor of Philosophy of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He has numerous publications on the scientific realism debate in, for instance, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Science, Synthese, and The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Science. He is the author of Scientific Realism: Elements in the Philosophy of Science (Cambridge University Press, 2021).
Peter Vickers is Associate Professor and Reader in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Durham in the United Kingdom. He is the author of Understanding Inconsistent Science (Oxford University Press, 2013) and the Associate Editor of the journal Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. He has several publications on the scientific realism debate in, for instance, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Science, Synthese, and The European Journal for Philosophy of Science.
Peter Vickers is Associate Professor and Reader in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Durham in the United Kingdom. He is the author of Understanding Inconsistent Science (Oxford University Press, 2013) and the Associate Editor of the journal Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. He has several publications on the scientific realism debate in, for instance, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Science, Synthese, and The European Journal for Philosophy of Science.
Content
Chapter 1. Introduction, Timothy D. Lyons and Peter Vickers Part I: Historical Cases for the Debate Chapter 2. Theoretical Continuity, Approximate Truth, and the Pessimistic Meta-Induction: Revisiting the Miasma Theory, Dana Tulodziecki Chapter 3. What Can the Discovery of Boron Tell Us About the Scientific Realism Debate?, Jonathon Hricko Chapter 4. No Miracle After All: The Thomson Brothers' Novel Prediction that Pressure Lowers the Freezing Point of Water, Keith Hutchison Chapter 5. From the Evidence of History to the History of Evidence: Descartes, Newton, and Beyond, Stathis Psillos Chapter 6. How Was Nicholson's Proto-Element Theory Able to Yield Explanatory as well as Predictive Success?, Eric R. Scerri Chapter 7. Selective Scientific Realism and Truth-Transfer in Theories of Molecular Structure, Amanda J. Nichols and Myron A. Penner Chapter 8. Realism, Physical Meaningfulness, and Molecular Spectroscopy, Teru Miyake and George E. Smith Part II: Contemporary Scientific Realism Chapter 9. The Historical Challenge to Realism and Essential Deployment, Mario Alai Chapter 10. Realism, Instrumentalism, Particularism: A Middle Path Forward in the Scientific Realism Debate, Kyle Stanford Chapter 11. Structure not Selection, James Ladyman Chapter 12. The Case of the Consumption Function: Structural Realism in Macroeconomics, Jennifer Jhun
Chapter 13. We Think, They Thought: A Critique of the Pessimistic Meta-Meta Induction, Ludwig Fahrbach Chapter 14. The Paradox of Infinite Limits: A Realist Response, Patricia Palacios and Giovanni Valente Chapter 15. Realist Representations of Particles: The Standard Model, Top Down, and Bottom Up, Anjan Chakravartty Index
Chapter 13. We Think, They Thought: A Critique of the Pessimistic Meta-Meta Induction, Ludwig Fahrbach Chapter 14. The Paradox of Infinite Limits: A Realist Response, Patricia Palacios and Giovanni Valente Chapter 15. Realist Representations of Particles: The Standard Model, Top Down, and Bottom Up, Anjan Chakravartty Index